The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is urging the Canadian Armed Forces to reconsider a recent directive banning members from using religious language at official military events, saying the policy violates Charter-protected rights.
The CCCB said in an Aug. 18 statement that it “stands in solidarity” with concerns recently raised by Bishop Scott McCaig, head of the Military Ordinariate of Canada, who said the policy unveiled last month may violate the principle of state neutrality on religion, and infringe on the sincerely held religious beliefs of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and others who speak at CAF events.
“Bishop McCaig states that, for many people, ‘meaning, purpose, and spiritual wellbeing’ cannot be separated from God. He argues that the new policy requires precisely such a separation and therefore conflicts with the Charter’s protection of the fundamental freedoms of conscience and religion,” the CCCB said. …